Conspiratorial mentality among older people: The role of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and social media use

Despite age being a significant sociodemographic correlate of conspiratorial mentality, surprisingly little is known about its precursors and consequences among older people. Older people are often considered at risk of psychological distress, which often relates to conspiratorial mentality. Our study therefore assumed bidirectional relations between these constructs. Distress was represented by loneliness, anxiety, and depression. We also investigated potential moderation by social media use, as conspiracy theories tend to be disseminated on such media. We tested these associations linearly and quadratically using data from a two-wave longitudinal study of Czech adults aged 60+ (NW1 = 4133, MageW1 = 69.1). Conspiratorial mentality was not predicted by other variables, indicating that these are probably not risk factors for such mentality. Conversely, conspiratorial mentality positively predicted only anxiety. Social media use moderation and quadratic effects were unsupported. Overall, the study suggests that conspiratorial mentality can be an anxiety-provoking experience among older people.